I'm here in the Media Filing Center and Spin Room in the Blackburn Center on the campus of Howard University for the "All-American Presidential Forums on PBS," moderated by Tavis Smiley.

On the way here, I asked my cabbie, Zena Mitika, an Ethiopian, what he would ask the presidential candidates if given the opportunity.

Without taking his eyes off the road, Zena said he would ask why America is so concerned about helping others around the world when there is so much need here at home, including in the nation's capitol.

Zena said Africans understand you have to start at home. "It starts with you own family. It starts with America first."

Zena would ask the candidates about the racial gap in economic opportunities between white Americans and minority Americans.

All-American Presidential Forums were created to provide fresh perspectives and an unprecedented level of inclusion for all Americans in general, and people of color in particular, in these critical discussions about our country's future.